Crisis & Acute Care Services Clinician

About the role

The Crisis & Acute Care Services Clinician reports to the Coordinator for Crisis and Acute Care Services (CACS) of the Center for Counseling and Psychological Health (CCPH), providing support, assessment and direct intervention to students experiencing acute clinical distress, mental health crises, and other urgent situations. This is a split position where the clinician will act as a part of the Crisis Team and the Acute Care Team within the clinic.

Essential Functions

• Providing direct clinical services to students in crisis, including risk evaluation, safety planning, biopsychosocial evaluation, mental status assessment, crisis intervention, counseling, and referral to appropriate resources.
• Reviews applicable records and consults collateral contacts to gather information. Makes clinical recommendations regarding level of care and involuntary hospitalization as necessary.
• Responsible for clinical and legal liability around professional practices and patient care using professional clinical judgement, deep understanding and compliance with professional ethics codes, and knowledge of state and federal laws (Section 12, Tarasoff Warning).
• Providing clinical care to students in Acute Care Program, including completing an intake evaluation, determining clinical appropriateness/eligibility, safety planning, group and individual therapeutic support sessions, and discharge paperwork.
• Facilitating Acute Care Group offerings including community conversations, workshops, and group therapy.
• General Clinical Activities: Applying substantial knowledge of psychology, social work, and clinical practice to effectively assess and deliver evidence-based interventions in multiple treatment modalities.
• Collaborating with and assisting students in solving complex problems spanning a range of academic and/or administrative areas via direct outreach, advocacy, provision of documentation, and referrals.
• Collaborating with students to increase their capacity and skill in accessing resources that promote wellbeing and academic success.
• Consulting, collaborating, and liaising with campus partners and external entities to triage and assess the needs of students in crisis. This includes working closely with hospitals and healthcare emergency departments, mental health providers, crisis services, community therapists, law enforcement personnel, family/friends of student, Dean of Students Office, Residential Life, University Health Services, UMass faculty/staff and other campus partners in the goal of optimizing student care and safety.
• Responding to critical incidents on campus such as community member death, natural disaster, campus threats, or anything else that presents threat to safety, security, and health of the campus.
• Delivering training curriculum for suicide prevention, risk reduction, and crisis response on and off campus.
• Participating in crisis response and emergency management training and planning and supporting the development and implementation of crisis management protocols and procedures.
• Preparing accurate and timely clinical documentation in an Electronic Medical Record system, maintaining compliance with HIPAA guidelines and medical billing standards.
• Actively participating in departmental and program meetings, such as conferences, administrative meetings, training, program development, and other special committees.
• Maintaining licensure, including earning of required CEUs, and adhering to all other practices and policies as outlined by UMASS, Title IX, Clery, mandated reporting guidelines, and professional code of ethics.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s Degree or higher in Social Work, Clinical/Counseling Psychology, Mental Health Counseling, or Marriage and Family Therapy
• Independent Licensure or License-Eligible and working toward Independent Licensure (LCSW, LICSW, or LMHC)
• Three (3) years of relevant professional experience.
• At least one (1) year of experience working in crisis or acute care setting or substantial experience completing risk evaluations/providing direct intervention to high-risk clients.
• Demonstrated competence in assessing and facilitating involuntary hospitalization for individuals at imminent risk to self or others.
• Demonstrated experience and competence with administrative functions, including ability to use complex computer systems such as electronic medical records and databases.
• Well-developed understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion in clinical care, including attending to the unique needs and advocating for individuals experiencing marginalization, such as first-generation college students, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ individuals, neuro-diverse individuals, individuals with disabilities, and individuals at the intersection of multiple identities.
• Recognizes the impact that racism, oppression, and other systemic inequities have on student access to care, especially in emergency situations.
• Demonstrated competence in providing services in a culturally responsive and identity-informed manner that affirms the complex ways in which culture and identity affect therapeutic service delivery.
• Superior intercultural communication skills.
• Capacity to employ the following skills in a fast-paced environment: Strong ability to communicate clearly and concisely, especially with regard to complicated information, in written and oral formats. Solid decision-making abilities, using consultation and data to inform the process. Creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Initiative and follow through in tackling various challenges. Impeccable organizational skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Candidates fluent in Mandarin, Spanish, and/or other languages spoken by UMass students.

Additional Details

• Typical mental health clinic environment
• Work is primarily performed in an indoor university environment and involves lifting and transporting materials or equipment and general physical activity, including prolonged standing, walking, or assuming low postures.
• Work Schedule and Work Arrangement: Required to work some nights and weekends, to facilitate Acute Care groups and to assist in critical incident response. Clinician may choose to participate in rotation of after hours on-call shifts at their discretion.
• Special Instructions for Applicants: Along with the application, please submit a resume. References will be checked at the finalist stage. Please be prepared to provide contact information for three (3) professional references.